US agency kills Colorado wolf in Wyoming where it was suspected of killing sheep

DENVER (AP) — A federal agency killed a collared wolf that appears to have crossed from Colorado into Wyoming and killed several sheep, government officials said Thursday.

The wolf was part of a voter-driven reintroduction of the predators in Colorado, a move that angered ranchers who feared losing livestock and agitated political divisions between urban and rural communities. The animals are protected in Colorado, but in large parts of Wyoming it's legal to kill them.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services responded to reports of a predator killing five sheep in north-central Wyoming on Saturday. The agency found evidence pointing to a wolf attack, including bite marks and tracks, according to spokesperson Tanya Espinosa.

Later that day, the agency killed the wolf it believed was the culprit and discovered it had a collar from Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Espinosa said. The wolf and collar were returned to the Colorado agency.

That agency said in a press release that a collar on a male gray wolf alerted the animal's death on Sunday in the same region of Wyoming. “Wolves are known to travel long distances to find food or mates, including into other states,” read the agency's statement.

The agency said the wolf had been transported from Canada, part of Colorado's ongoing reintroduction efforts after the first wolf paws touched down in December 2023.